Wisdom Tooth Removal: All You Need to Know

Why Wisdom Tooth Removal Is Sometimes Needed

Wisdom teeth develop later than other teeth, usually emerging in your late teens or early 20s. However, they can cause problems at any age. You might need to have them removed if they don't have enough space to fully come through your mouth. This can lead to various issues such as pain, swelling, infections, food getting stuck, tooth decay, gum disease, cysts, and dental abscesses. A dentist will use X-rays to determine the position of your wisdom teeth and assess if removal is necessary. Even if they aren't causing problems currently, they will be monitored during routine dental check-ups.

What Happens During Wisdom Tooth Removal

A dentist or a specialist might perform the procedure. You'll typically receive a local anaesthetic injection to numb the gum, but sedation or a general anaesthetic might be used if the teeth are difficult to remove or if you're anxious. The main steps include cutting the gum if it's covering the tooth, widening the socket, removing the tooth either in one piece or in sections, and stitching the gum if necessary. The entire process usually takes a few minutes to a maximum of 40 minutes. In most cases, you can go home the same day, but if you had a general anaesthetic, you might need to stay in the hospital overnight. The cost of wisdom tooth removal varies, and if done by an NHS dentist, you'll need to pay for a band 2 course of treatment, unless you're eligible for free NHS dental treatment.

Recovering from Wisdom Tooth Removal

You can usually resume normal activities the day after the procedure. However, if the removal was more challenging or you had a general anaesthetic, you might need 1 to 3 days off work. For up to 2 weeks after the removal, you'll likely experience some pain and swelling that should start to improve after 1 or 2 days. You might also have bruising on your cheek, a sore and stiff jaw, and find chewing and swallowing uncomfortable. If you had stitches, they'll dissolve on their own. A blood clot will form over the wound to aid healing. You'll be given specific advice for the first few days to facilitate recovery, such as taking paracetamol or ibuprofen for pain, eating soft or liquid food, keeping the wound clean with mouthwash or warm salt water, carefully cleaning your other teeth while avoiding the affected area, applying pressure for at least 10 minutes with a clean cloth or cotton wool if bleeding occurs, avoiding driving for 48 hours after a general anaesthetic or 24 hours after a sedative injection, not eating hard or crunchy food or food that could get stuck in the wound, not smoking as it increases the risk of infection, and not consuming alcohol or very hot drinks to reduce the risk of bleeding or scalding.

Possible Complications of Wisdom Tooth Removal

Wisdom tooth removal is usually straightforward, but like any procedure, complications can arise. Your dentist or surgeon will explain the risks before the operation. Complications may include dry sockets, where the blood clot over the tooth socket doesn't form properly or is dislodged before the gum heals, infections that might require antibiotics, and damage to nerves near the tooth, causing numbness or tingling in your tongue, lips, and chin. This numbness usually improves but can persist for a few weeks or months. If you have persistent bleeding, severe and worsening pain and swelling that isn't helped by painkillers, pain with a bad taste in your mouth, a high temperature, or feeling unwell, seek an urgent dentist appointment or get help from NHS 111.

Overview of Wisdom Tooth Removal

Wisdom tooth removal, also known as wisdom tooth extraction, is a common oral surgery procedure. Dentists may recommend it to preserve your oral health and prevent potential issues with your other teeth in the future. Your wisdom teeth, or third molars, are located at the very back of your mouth and typically emerge between the ages of 17 and 25. Scientists consider wisdom teeth to be vestigial structures as our eating habits have changed over time. Some people have all four wisdom teeth, while others have one, two, three, or none. Whether you have a certain number of wisdom teeth is a normal variation and a sign of evolution. You might need wisdom teeth removed if they are impacted, growing crooked, causing pain, trapping food and debris, causing gum disease, having tooth decay, developing cysts, or causing damage to nearby teeth or surrounding bone. In many cases, dentists suggest removing wisdom teeth preventively to lower the risk of future problems like infection and tooth decay.

Procedure Details for Wisdom Tooth Removal

Before the procedure, during a consultation with an oral surgeon, they'll examine the health of your wisdom teeth and take dental X-rays to determine their exact location. It's a good opportunity to inform your surgeon about any medications, vitamins, or supplements you're taking. Your surgeon will also discuss sedation dentistry options with you. Depending on your needs and preferences, they may recommend local anesthesia, nitrous oxide, IV sedation, or general anesthesia. If you choose IV sedation or general anesthesia, your surgeon will provide detailed instructions on how to prepare for the appointment, which might include fasting and stopping certain medications. On the day of the procedure, your surgeon will administer anesthesia to numb your teeth and gums, make incisions in your gums if necessary to expose trapped teeth, carefully loosen and remove your wisdom tooth, clean the area to prevent infection, place stitches if needed to close the surgical site, and place gauze over the sockets to control bleeding. The procedure usually lasts an hour or less, but complex cases may take longer. After the removal, you can expect mild discomfort, slight bleeding, and swelling. Your oral surgeon will give you instructions to manage these side effects. Once the sedation wears off, a trusted person will drive you home.

Risks and Benefits of Wisdom Tooth Removal

The benefits of removing wisdom teeth include reducing the risk of future oral health problems such as gum disease, tooth decay, damage to neighboring teeth, bone loss, and jaw damage. If you already have pain due to your wisdom teeth, extraction can often provide immediate relief and improve your oral health. However, there are some risks and complications associated with the extraction, such as infection, dry sockets, and damage to other oral structures. Wisdom teeth removal typically doesn't result in long-term complications, but in rare cases, these issues can occur.

Recovery and Outlook after Wisdom Tooth Removal

The recovery time after wisdom tooth removal averages one to two weeks, but most people can return to school, work, and normal routines within three to five days. Your surgeon will provide detailed postoperative instructions to help you manage discomfort while healing. The worst day of pain after extraction often occurs on the third or fourth day, but after the peak, the pain and swelling should gradually decrease. If the pain, bleeding, or swelling worsens after four days, it might indicate an infection, and your surgeon can prescribe antibiotics. You can eat as soon as you leave the appointment, but it's advisable to stick to a soft food diet for the first three to five days and then gradually introduce more solid foods. Your surgeon will provide a list of suitable foods such as yogurt, smoothies, pudding, soups, macaroni and cheese, scrambled eggs, applesauce, mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, pureed fruit, and cooked vegetables. You should rest at home for three to five days after the procedure. If your job involves physical labor, you might need additional days off as activities that increase your heart rate can cause pain, bleeding, and swelling.

When to Contact Your Doctor after Wisdom Tooth Removal

You should contact your dentist or oral surgeon if you develop a fever higher than 102 degrees Fahrenheit, excessive bleeding, severe pain not relieved by medication, difficulty breathing or swallowing, swelling that worsens after three days, or an infection with pus coming from the surgical site.

Additional Details about Wisdom Tooth Removal

Not everyone needs to have their wisdom teeth removed. Some people have healthy wisdom teeth that grow in normally without causing any problems. The best way to determine if you need wisdom tooth removal is to consult your dentist, who can take X-rays to assess the position of your wisdom teeth. Many dentists recommend wisdom tooth removal in your late teens or early 20s when the teeth are still developing and may be easier to extract, but there is no specific age limit for the procedure.